To think that 4 G.C.S.E's needed to do business studies is ridiculous

[magicalmadmadamim]

My eldest DS is 16 and been at college since September. He has 2 G.C.S.E equivalent certificates in English and Maths.
I'm sure back when I was in college business studies was always a foundation course?
He really wanted to do business studies and they have put him on some really rubbish courses that he is super bored with.
Is it me or is education getting much harder now?
Hardly any of his school friends passed any g.c.s.e's :(

This isn't about being academic or not though.

You don't have to be academic to avoid getting expelled for racism. You don't have to be academic to avoid being persistently late and rude to teachers. You don't have to be academic to have parents who give a shit and don't make excuses for your shit behaviour. You don't have to be academic to understand that you sometimes have to do boring stuff you don't want to do in order to progress through levels of training to get to where you want to me.

The problem is he's lazy, entitled and unpleasant because Mum and Dad haven't been bothered about his education.

If he goes for the IT apprenticeship he needs to realise that it's a much sought after position. It will be very competitive and apprenticeships usually require high GCSE grades. He will also need a good CV and they will look at his high school reports. He will also need to pass an interview. Having a server won't cut it, 12 year olds do that. Round here apprenticeships usually go to 18-19 year olds after they have competed college/6 form and got good grades so they don't have to release them for college so staying at college and getting qualifications will work in his favour.

Why is it you think he might not pass if he finds the course too easy?

Why are you enabling his attitude?

He will need help and support so if he can explain to you what it involves, then you could help him break it down to form a portfolio and CV.
Screen shots, a write up of how he developed it.
Which skills are involved with moderating users? Can he give an example of a tricky scenario that he handled well etc. that sort of thing
Being able to explain is going to be necessary for any interview he might get.

Have you looked up what running a Minecraft server involves? It’s great for your son that he’s earning some money from it, but it’s also not especially difficult or complicated - there are a huge number of them. Neither is moderation. These are activities that many people in IT are going to see as lightweight hobbies. If your son is genuinely interested in an IT apprenticeship then he’ll need to either resit some of his GCSEs or develop additional IT skills that will set him apart from other more qualified applicants.

No.

But think about it. How many young men like gaming and would happily spend all day on their computers or gaming systems, and how much call do you think there is for people to work in that field?

I don't know what setting up a server involves, but I do have some idea of what's involved in coding. It's very mathematical, involves very high level problem solving skills and logic. There's no way that a child who is capable of that is not also capable of passing maths and science GSCEs, if they apply themselves.

I am involved in the hiring process for technical roles and we also assess educational background. Someone with no GCSEs and no degree wouldn't be considered, because there's no evidence that they are capable of the types of attitudes and skills required. If they couldn't be bothered to do any work for their GSCEs then why would we believe they're going to do any work for us?

The same applies to higher education, why would they waste funding on a child who has shown no evidence of being able to work hard or succeed, and on top of it has gone out of his way to make life hard for his teachers and his peers throughout his education?

Would you want him in your class?

Since you asked, part-time job, helping out with volunteer activities and teaching myself the national curriculum because my school was so rubbish. Apart from 1C I got all A's or A* despite my school being in the worst half a dozen in the country in terms of results. School didn't teach me so I did it myself.

Even though my school is terrible and actually got shut down being so bad, results as low as your sons would have been unusual. Very few people (like less than 15%) got the 'magical' 5c plus, but one or two C's and D's and E's were the norm.

But this isn't about one incident for your son, or even him mucking around for a couple of years. The gradings he got in his gcses indicate he's functioning at the level of a 10-year-old!

DH works in programming. It's a serious job. It's not pissing about on a computer. Running a hobby Minecraft server even if it's for money is not comparable and most definitely is pissing about on a computer.

DH interviews. Pissing about on Minecraft doesn't actually looking great on a CV for someone wanting to work in computers. It just looks like pissing about on Minecraft. He wouldn't dismiss someone who has applicable skills that are relevant to the workplace and can demonstrate a work ethic and knowledge. How is your son going to acquire these?

DH taught himself to programme. He didn't learn it at uni or college. He went through a good number of shit jobs on the way. Your son could learn via various online sources how to do something worthwhile rather than pissing about on Minecraft. He doesn't even have to be in education to do this. He's at college part time so it's not like he doesn't have the opportunity. He just needs to apply himself and prioritise it over pissing about on Minecraft.

He won't want to because that's 'boring' and he'd prefer to piss about on Minecraft and Mum won't give him a reality check.

Poor kid.

Ireland doesn't have GCSEs or BTEC, what are you talking about?

She obviously means Northern Ireland.

If he is your eldest how are other dc behaving and coping at school? Are they also with their father in UK?

No she specifically referenced UK Vs Ireland, and since NI is in the UK......

I’m Scottish. I’ve got very very used to mumsnetters saying UK when they actually
mean England. Scotland is also in the UK and we do not have GCSEs.

She obviously meant England and Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, you just have to get used to English people on here who cannot understand that England is not the only country in the UK and that other countries within the UK do things differently. They will continue to say UK when they are talking about England.

I have non academic children. BUT I still know that reasonable passes at GCSE are essential to financially secure work and hence a reasonable quality of life. And I hammer the homework and am involved in it. I HATE having to do it. But I still do it.

The idea that you can sit back, be totally hands off, with a teenager and expect them to do what they need to, to pass exams is a recipe for disaster.

Good grief, didn’t realise they had already accepted him! The thought of handing a gun to a guy like that is scary

Maybe they will keep him in catering or something else where he can’t do too much harm ??

I think you both maybe need a reality check… my brother had no GCSEs (smoked weed and played x box all day) and he left thinking because he was street smart and had good chat he would be able to blah his way through life. Not the case. Ended up sitting his GCSEs as an adult (about 21 I think when he finished them) and it was much harder. He’s very successful now, he actually makes more money than me, but you do have to jump through the hoops and get your GCSEs. It’s better to get them when you’re young, with your peers. He pushes his kids so hard to do well in school now, he is actually stricter than me about school which is funny.

Rightly or wrongly, if you want to access further education in most cases you need your GCSEs. Functional skills will open some doors, but realistically it’s not seen as the same by employers.

Maybe his side hustle will take off and he can be one of them online gurus who say stuff about how the education system is a waste of time, but that’s unlikely so best have a fall back.

To take business studies you need to have good GCSE to show you are committed the work. At my child's college which covers A levels, btec etc the courses are so vast that a topic is covered once in class then they move a on to the next topic. Students are then expected to work on the topic in their own time called independent study to get good grades. After the high school fiasco it wouldn't be a good idea to put your child through a course like this.

Not everyone is academic. Not everyone is a racist bully.

They attend school and kindergarten in the country we are living in. My eldest's father has been my ex for a very long time.

Is it an English speaking country?

Her son chose to stay with his father.

I don't want to be unduly harsh, here, but it sounds very much like you and your new partner decided to move abroad without much thought as to how it might impact on your eldest child. From his perspective, it probably looks like you just abandoned him in favour of your new family. And yes, he did have the option of going with you, but that's a big ask from a kid who is old enough to not want to uproot from everything he knows. And ultimately, you decided to go without him.

Whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, that decision will have sent a very strong message to him about the value that you place on him. His other parent doesn't seem to be very engaged or hands on either, so it is hardly surprising that he has gone off the rails in response to all of this. Perhaps it is attention seeking, or perhaps it is simply the natural result of not having any proper parenting.

Anyway, what's done is done, and you can't turn back the clock now. Going forward, I think you need to work out a plan for how you are going to provide better support and guidance to your son from now on, and how you are going to go about repairing some of the damage that will have already been done. He probably needs some really good therapy for a start.

The thing is the BTEC is an academic course. The OP then has berated everyone saying not everyone is academic.

But if you aren't academic you aren't going to be able to do that course. So her attack about MN being so narrow-minded is just lashing out and completely missing the entire point.

Post GCSE most courses require self motivation and self study. That's what he's really lacking.

He has to PROVE himself now. That's what everyone is saying. OP doesn't want to absorb this.